The Local Government Management Interns outside of the Eau Claire County Government Center.

The first week at Chippewa Falls City Hall.

The Wittenberg interns visit to Lake Superior!

The 2007 Local Government Management Internship program was jointly hosted by the city of Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. The interns kept a blog of their experience, and some of the projects they found most interesting, inlcuding a public access television agreement and working on a zoning staff report (exposing undergraduates to a franchise agreement - now that's intense!). Students also enjoyed attending community and city meetings, where one student wrote about the amazing amount of money involved in a decision to build a new jail. All in all, it was clear from the students’ records that they viewed this internship as a wealth of hands-on experience in an area of great interest to them. Detailed entries and many more photos are available on the Wittenberg LGMI blog.

"There was a great deal of collaboration between Wittenberg faculty, County and City staff prior to the intern's arrival to establish all necessary logistics for appropriate projects, housing for faculty and students and transportation requirements. The interns were involved in comprehensive planning, criminal justice and alternatives to incareration programs, upgrading of GIS software applications, transportation planning issues, performance management/measurement, and human resources handbook and procedure updates. In addition, the interns attended a regular County Board meeting, as well as numerous committee meetings, highlighting the local government public policy decision making processes," wrote Tom McCarty, Eau Claire County Administrator.

In addition to coursework, projects, and meetings, participants were able to enjoy some local activities in the area. They were able to attend the “Taste of Eau Claire” celebration, a Minnesota Twins baseball game, the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, the Mall of America, and even a 9-hour trip to Canada's Winnipeg.

The Wittenberg interns’ blog entries tell the story of a program that combines hands on learning, classroom education, and classmate camaraderie into one unique experience. The projects worked on by the interns may also be of particular interest to many potential host governments. Involvement in the LGMI program is crucial if you are a local government with an interest in furthering the involvement of young people and getting a little help with some big projects.

The LGMI Program is a component of ICMA’s Next Generation Initiative, in partnership with Springfield, Ohio’s Wittenberg University. The eight-week program combines an unpaid undergraduate internship with a class/seminar component. This program is open to undergraduates and recent graduates from any university; recent graduates should be within a semester of graduating. Participants from other schools will receive between six and eight transferable credits, depending on their school's policies. Students are placed as interns in a host local government and given projects to complete by the end of the program. Onsite Wittenberg faculty are present to advise students on their projects and required coursework. In addition, students attend class two nights per week and participate in local government meetings.

Fernandina Beach, Florida, is hosting the 2008 interns between May 26 and July 18, 2008. Fernandina Beach was the host city for the Wittenberg interns in 1997, and they are excited to return 10 years later. To learn more about hosting the Local Government Management Interns in your community, contact Rob Carty at ICMA, or Rob Baker at Wittenberg.